Month: October 2021

Posted in Fiber, Jewelry, Photography, Quilts, Service Dog, Sketchbook

I Can See Again!!!

Posted on by debthumanblog

Both eyes are fixed and I’m seeing in stereo again. This is good. I’m learning to grab reading glasses when I need to see the computer, read or sew. I used to be able to read and sew without glasses. My eyes have been corrected to overcome the extreme nearsightedness. The right eye, the one that was fixed first, was tested last week. 20/25. The left eye was fixed this past Friday and, although fuzzy, my eye was 20/70. The fuzziness has now disappeared. The vision in my left eye will improve. I’m left-eye dominant so I’m back to being able to look at the world from the left rather than try to look from the right. I need to relearn how to use my camera. For wildlife and landscapes, I would wear prescription sunglasses that were single vision for distance. I’d look underneath my glasses to see the camera settings. Now, I cannot see the settings without reading glasses. This relearning is going to take a while. 

I just put 42 new designs into my Spoonflower shop. I’ve ordered proofs for 42 whole cloth quilt designs. I find writing tags for my designs tedious, and finally decided to skip writing tags to say what the design could be used for. Fabric is fabric. You want to make lingerie from fabric that has a street sign pattern? Go ahead. There are no lingerie police. You want your yoga pants to match your wallpaper? Go ahead. There are no yoga pants police or wallpaper police. You decide what you want to make from my designs. I’m now writing tags just to list the colors and explain the design.  

I ordered proofs of 42 whole cloth quilts on Friday. I should be getting my proofs in a couple weeks. I’m excited about putting them in my Spoonflower shop. 

I’ve been working on figuring out how I want to quilt Ketamine Brain.

I thought about using a different color thread for each quilting design, but now that I see it, I don’t like that idea. I’ll have to look at this for a bit before I make any decisions. If I go with this design, it will be the most complicated quilting design I’ve ever done.

While I was looking for an empty page in my sketchbook, I came across this sketch.

I’m not sure if I want to turn it into a quilt.

I’ve been working on fabric designs again.

I need to think about adding jewelry to my on-line store, Deb Thuman Art. I had intended to sell my latest creations at the local farmers & craft market this month. That’s not going to happen. Jim had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff a couple weeks ago. He’s not going to be in any shape to put up an EZ-Up. Don’t let the name fool you – it’s only “easy” if two people are getting it set up. Brady isn’t ready to be at the farmers & craft market. Too many people, too many dogs, too many interesting smells. We can’t leave her home because we will be gone about eight hours. That’s too long to leave her in her crate without her having an accident. I’m not interested in finding a gallery in which to sell my work. I, and everyone else I know, has had a miserable experience with galleries. Damaged work. Payments not made. It’s not worth the headache. 

http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.comI’m linking with Nina Marie here: 

My Spoonflower shop is here: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/deb_thuman

My on-line store is here: http://wwwDebThumanArt.com

Posted in Fiber, Photography, Quilts

I’ll Be So Happy When I Can See With Both Eyes

Posted on by debthumanblog

It’s not easy sewing with only one eye. My computer glasses will help with the eye that has the lens I was born with, but not with the eye with the new lens. Working without glasses, I can see up close with the eye with the original lens, but not with the eye that has the new lens. I’ve tried taking the left lens out of an old pair of bifocals. I can see with the eye with the original lens, but only distance with the eye with the new lens. PITA. 

I discovered I can’t drive. I’m not seeing enough clearly. I’ll be able to drive again when I get my other eye fixed.

I finished the prototype for a messenger bag. I’ll have to use it for a while to see how I would like to change the pattern. I managed to twist the handle when I attached it. I’m not in the mood to remove one end and remove the twist. It stays as it is. It’s too difficult to see what I’m doing.

There are outside pockets on the front and the back, a pocket on the flap, and inside pockets on the front and the back. I don’t know what happened with the color. The bag is really gray and tan. I used upholstery fabric for the outside of the bag. Jim used to work for Gunlocke – a company that makes high end furniture. He could buy leftover fabric from the company store for $1.00 a yard. That was 21 years ago. I still have a generous supply of upholstery fabric.

I don’t know what went wrong with the color. The bag is really gray and tan.

I’ve been working on cheater blocks which I’m told are now called whole cloth quilts. I start with a background, and then play. I’ve got almost enough whole cloth quilt designs to order proofs. Once I get the proofs back, I’ll put the whole cloth designs in my Spoonflower shop.

I’ve been working on creating my own backgrounds to be a starting point for my designs. Colored pencils on white paper. I blurred the background so it doesn’t look like a bunch of pencil marks.

I got my proofs back from Spoonflower and I’ve put 84 new designs in my Spoonflower shop here: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/deb_thuman

I’m linking with Nina Marie here: http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com

My on-line store, Deb Thuman Art, is here: http://www.DebThumanArt.com

Shipping within the US is included in the price. If you are outside the US, email me at debthuman@zianet.com. I’ll research the shipping costs for you. Just let me know what you would like to buy. It’s possible the shipping costs are more than you wish to pay. Not a problem. It cost me $1.50 USD to send a Christmas card to my brother-in-law who lives in Canada. Shipping outside the US can get expensive. 

Posted in Fiber, Photography

In The Meantime…….

Posted on by debthumanblog

I had cataract surgery in my right eye. The left eye gets a new lens on October 29. In the meantime, I’m not seeing in stereo. I’m severely nearsighted, so the difference between my eyes now is huge. Jim took the right lens out of an older pair of bifocals so I can sort of see in stereo. 

I’ve been trying to work on the messenger bag prototype, but I can’t work on it for very long before everything is a blur. I don’t have the ability to insert a zipper when I can’t see clearly. The prototype will have three outside pockets and two inside pockets. Eventually, I’ll figure out how to do a recessed zipper and make the “real” messenger bag. I’m thinking of using one of my fabric designs for the “real” bag. 

Spoonflower has a 20% off sale and I had $30+ in Spoon Dollars – my commission for designs I’ve sold. I picked out 84 designs to proof. Including tax and shipping I only spent $5.39. The proofs should be ready in a couple weeks, and I’ll be able to get the designs into my shop. My Spoonflower shop is here: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/deb_thuman

I’m not that confident in my ability to do photography at the moment, so I’ve been working on fabric designs. Usually, I start with a photo I’ve taken and then manipulate the photo. This time, I’m starting with a black photo and playing around with editing. I’m using PhotoScape X. Most of the program is free. I think I paid a one-time charge of $40 to unlock everything. There’s a version for both Mac and Windows. 

I’ve used light leaks, bokeh, nature, extras, and overlays to create the following. 

I use Fill a Yard to proof my designs. I’m hoping to get 42 designs that I like to Fill a Yard before the sale expires. I can’t sell my designs until I proof them.

I’m linking with Nina Marie here: http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com

My store, Deb Thuman Art is here: http://www.DebThumanArt.com

Posted in Fiber, Photography

Seeing Clearly But Only With One Eye

Posted on by debthumanblog

I finally reached a point where my vision problems were bad enough that I needed cataract surgery. Yesterday, I had my right eye fixed. Today, the fuzziness has disappeared, and I can see better with the fixed eye than I can with the other eye even with my glasses. Now, I get to learn how to function with my eyes radically different. I’m starting to see a difference in color between my eyes. So many people I know who have had cataract surgery said the cataracts had given the world a yellow cast. When I look at the world through my left eye, the world has a warm cast. When I look at the world through my left eye, the world has a cool cast.

Being an artist makes the bumps in life easier to navigate. I had the surgery done in Albuquerque which meant spending most of the day in the car. We left about 2:30 AM. Brady slept most of the trip. I had to be at the surgery center at 6:20 AM. My followup visit was at 1:30 PM. Between appointments, we went to a park. After some experimenting, I found a new use for a cloth mask.

Next, I had to deal with bright sun.

Yo, ho, ho. I’ll take the bottle of rum, but not the parrot. I was told to wear a blouse with buttons down the front. So I borrowed one of the shirts I made for Jim.

When we came back from having breakfast this morning, I noticed this growing in the front yard.

I looked around a bit more, and found this growing.

I tried sewing a messenger bag, but had to give up after a couple hours because I couldn’t see. My other eye gets fixed 10/29. It’s going to be a long three weeks. I’m trying to type this with a pair of reader glasses. I put cloth over the left lens and I’m only seeing with my right eye. I’m not sure this setup is an improvement. For my next experiment, Jim removed the right lens from an old pair of glasses. At least I can see in stereo as long as I don’t need to see anything close up.

I’ve been playing around with editing again.

My online store, Deb Thuman Art is here: http://www.DebThumanArt.com

My Spoonflower shop is here: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/deb_thuman

I’m linking with Nina Marie here: http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com

Posted in Fiber, Photography, Sewing

A Few Sewing Thoughts

Posted on by debthumanblog

I read an article in Seamwork magazine about “unskilled” garment workers and how they have been and continue to be exploited. https://www.seamwork.com/magazine/2021/10/the-myth-of-fast-fashions-unskilled-labor

Garments are made in southeast Asia and workers are paid less than minimum wage and only a fraction of what workers in the US would be paid. None of the cost saving has been passed on to the consumer. 

I’d like to tell you that I sew because I’m appalled by how garment workers are treated. I am appalled, but that isn’t why I sew. 

Why do I sew? It’s not to save money because fabric hasn’t been cheap for a very long time. Quality fabric is expensive. Cheap fabric from stores such as Walmart isn’t worth buying. 

I sew because I don’t want my clothes to look like everyone else’s clothes. I sew because I like to sew. I sew because the entire world disappears when I’m making art. I sew because I love color and detest that Panetone imposes colors of the year on us. I’m a grownup; I can choose colors all by myself. I sew because I love dying and manipulating fabric. I sew because I like designing fabric and love having fabric no one else has. 

I’m slowly working on a messenger bag using a free pattern from Pfaff. https://pfaff.com/en-US/Inspiration/PFAFF-Blog/December-2016/2-in-1-Messenger-Bag?utm_source=PFAFF%20Master%20Database%20as%20of%20February%2C%202021&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PF%20US%20Weekly%209-22%20%28WSPbrB%29&_kx=5QGBvh8dFFLpunc1mkrSNSSxO1pfMewr295QkvGARtE%3D.UYnuUe

I’m also tweaking the pattern. I like having zippered pockets in my purses. So I’m adding zippered pockets. I like to have an outside pocket for my keys and another outside pocket for my cellphone. I like an inside pocket to house my passport and emergency psych meds. Another inside pocket will hold one of the pens Jim made for me and my checkbook. I also like having a recessed zipper at the top of my purse. 

Before we moved to New Mexico, Jim worked for a high end furniture factory. Employees could buy leftover upholstery fabric for $1 a yard. This was fabric that originally cost $70 a yard. It’s heavy duty upholstery fabric and perfect for purses and bags. The current messenger bag in progress will be the prototype. I’ll make final tweaks and then make a perfect-for-me messenger bag. 

I’ve been designing fabric. A few start to finish photos….

Here’s what I did with a photo of the seed pod on a red yucca that’s in my yard.

Seed pods on barrel cacti are edible although I’ve never eaten one.

I had seen a photo in Threads magazine of a garment made from fabric that was pastel squares.

Dead cactus pads, dead agave leaves, dead plants all can be turned into interesting fabric.

Sometimes, instead of an editing progression starting with the original and ending when I can’t make another good design from that fabric, I’ll take an original photo, edit, revert to original, edit, revert to original and so on until there’s nothing more I can do with the photo. That’s what happened with this shot.

Not every photo gets turned into fabric – just the ones that I find are intriguing. Eventually, I’ll proof designs and put them into my Spoonflower shop here: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/deb_thuman

I’ve also got an on line store, Deb Thuman Art where I sell my art. http://www.DebThumanArt.com

I’m linking with Nina Marie here: http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com